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$50 reward for the return of Marilyn Mannequin

Valley forum

On Saturday, Sept. 10, between 1 and 5 a.m., Marilyn Mannequin disappeared from the fenced yard of Steve and Cathy Sowa at 515 Solano Ave. in El Verano. Ms. Mannequin was at work as a scarecrow protecting the Sowa vegetable garden when she went missing.

Marilyn Mannequin was no ordinary scarecrow. Her unusual story is included below. She and her sister, Maybelle, were visible to everyone who drove along Solano Avenue. Marilyn's loss has saddened the entire neighborhood.

The Sowas conducted an extensive search of the area and contacted everyone they knew in their efforts to find Marilyn and bring her home. Unfortunately she remains missing.

Cathy and Steve Sowa are now offering a $50 reward for the return of their Marilyn. This is a no questions asked reward, as their sole interest is in insuring Marilyn's safe return.

Marilyn Mannequin is 5'10," weighs about 40 pounds, has blue eyes and red hair. Her clothing sizes are tattooed on her back side.

This is Marilyn Mannequin's story:

After Marilyn Mannequin disappeared from the Sowa home garden, her family was heartbroken. Her sister, Maybelle Mannequin, was speechless as she waited for news of Marilyn's whereabouts. Steve and Cathy Sowa scoured the neighborhood and nearby department stores for any trace of their missing Marilyn. "I can't believe she would simply wander away," a shaken Steve Sowa said, a tear slowly making its way down his cheek. "I hope she didn't elope."

Marilyn Mannequin was created from pinkish fiberglass. She has a lineage that goes way back. Her great-grandmother, Laughing Sal, cackled incessantly at folks from in front of the Fun House at San Francisco's Playland-at-the-Beach. Marilyn's grand-uncle, the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile, sired (rumor has it) the Doggie Diner dachshund who used to be across the street from the San Francisco zoo.

From the moment her resin cured, Marilyn knew the department store life was not for her. She was a farm girl at heart and the moment she spied Steve Sowa she knew her savior had arrived.

Steve liked her at first sight. He paid cash for her, carried her outside, tossed her in the back of his pick-up, and drove her home to the farm.

When Cathy Sowa saw Marilyn Mannequin in the back of Steve's truck she thought, "Ah, a farmhand." She told Steve to take off Marilyn's bikini and dress her for fieldwork. He threw a pair of Oshkosh overalls on her, took her out to the garden, and fired the straw-filled scarecrow. All the crows did a double-take, their eyes popping out of their heads as they gazed with amazement for the first time at Marilyn Mannequin. "She's human," they all thought with their little bird brains.

Marilyn loved her job. She guarded the garden day and night, rain and shine. Steve and Cathy Sowa had bountiful harvests, and the crows were happy too, as long as they didn't venture too far from the bird feeder. Life was good for all at the Sowa homestead - until the wee hours of that Saturday morning, when their beloved Marilyn Mannequin went missing. Maybelle Mannequin rushed over from McCalou's Department Store to watch over the garden until Marilyn returns, but it isn't the same.

Days have passed and still no word. The clock ticks on.

If you can help Marilyn Mannequin return home, call Steve or Cathy Sowa at 935-8112 or email them at spacna@comcast.net.